Mobile optimisation is an often-overlooked aspect of a web build, particularly for those who DIY and for sites built before the prevalence of mobile phones and tablets. But ensuring your website is ready for mobile is one of the smartest investments a business owner can make.
It’s estimated that over 80 per cent of all web traffic is conducted over a smartphone, so the necessity of mobile marketing responsiveness can’t be overstated. Studies show that 50 per cent of visitors will leave your site if your page takes longer than two seconds to load, and conversions drop by 12 per cent for every extra second of load time. In essence, time is costing you money. The way to recoup the losses is through mobile optimisation and investing in content your customers find useful.
Test your site’s responsiveness
At the forefront of any site owner’s mind when creating a mobile marketing strategy should be the user’s experience. Ensuring your site works efficiently across all devices is key, and that functionality isn’t impeded when viewed in either portrait or landscape. Responsive web design ensures faster speed loads and include well-tested user interface (UI) and experience (UX), so it pays to ensure your theme or design has mobile functionality in mind.
Quick tips:
- Test your images and layout across varying devices in both portrait and landscape
- Ensure your buttons and touch targets are at least 44px by 44px for easier navigation, and that they’re easy to reach (consider single-handed use).
- Make your body text at least 14px for easier readability.
- Optimise your images so they’re smaller and faster to load.
- Avoid popups and other intrusions that can ruin a user’s experience.
- Make your contact details clickable, including your location, email and phone numbers
Invest in quality content
If visitors to your website don’t find anything of value, there’s little reason for them to stay, let alone return. Creating quality content that users find engaging decreases bounce rates and improves your website’s search ranking.
Pay attention not only to what your customers are asking but also how they’re engaging with it. Think beyond the text-based articles. Infographics are an excellent way to share information visually and are highly viral, which can go a long way to reaching new traffic.
Video is also a medium that is gaining a lot of traction in the mobile marketing sphere. Facebook says its users spend three times as much time watching video than reading articles or other static content. Video may take a bit more investment in terms of production, time, and money, but the returns pay off. Even a 30-40 second video can do your business wonders, especially if it’s good enough to be shared.
Don’t neglect your local footprint
Google estimates that almost 80 per cent of users searching for businesses nearby visit that business within a day, so getting in front of the local market makes good business sense. A lot of traffic comes from social as well (LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook), so be sure to claim your business profile pages on the social networks your potential customers are active on and make sure your location and contact details are included.
Remember old-fashioned email
Email marketing and newsletters are still highly effective in engaging your customers. It doesn’t all have to be about social and entertainment. Email is a cost-effective way to inform your market about new products, services or discounts and share your content to a wide audience. It is a useful way to redirect your customers back to your site or social platforms, so use it wisely and create compelling calls-to-action to increase traffic and interaction and remind your customers of what you do.
Nathan Sinnott, Chief Executive Officer, Newpath WEB
